The priests and rulers gathered together to discuss Jesus and their waning power. They wanted to get rid of Jesus fearing that the Romans would see a disturbance and then remove the little power they possessed. During this meeting, there were still disagreements whether it was right to put Jesus to death. A few that had stood up for Jesus in the past were not invited. (more…)
A message came to Jesus saying that his good friend Lazarus was very sick. His disciples expected Jesus to leave at once to heal his friend; however, Jesus continued to hang out for another two days. The disciples could not understand this behavior. The disciples reminisced how Jesus didn’t help John the Baptist either. (more…)
Today was a very special day for the Sajdak family. My son was dedicated and my daughter was baptized. It was wonderful to see my daughter publicly declare her commitment to choose Jesus. I had the distinct privilege of actually performing the baptism. I was very thankful as I thought about all the people in our church who have helped mold my daughter. I’m especially grateful for our church school and the committed teachers who have made such a great impact. (more…)
If there is one story in the Bible that has truly bothered me, it’s the story of the rich young ruler. I felt a tremendous amount of sadness as I read this story today. I was sad for the rich young ruler and for myself. You see, I recognize that I face the rich young ruler struggle every day.
Let’s take a moment and revisit this amazing interaction between Jesus and the rich young ruler. (more…)
Raising children is a huge responsibility and a gift from God. As parents, it is our duty to be like Jesus to our kids and to teach them to love and respect God. At a young age, children are open to God’s teachings and they have an incredible ability to retain the lessons we teach. As we develop and learn things in our walk with God, we should readily teach those same lessons to our children. We should also teach our children to bring their sins to Jesus, ask for forgiveness, and believe that their sins are forgiven. (more…)
Jesus said, “The time will come when you will want very much to see one of the days of the Son of Man. But you will not see it.” Luck 18:22.
When the disciples were with Jesus they never fully comprehended him or his mission. They did not fully recognize that Jesus was divinity clothed in humanity. They had allowed the prevailing doubt to cloud their minds and judgment. In fact, Thomas had to put his finger into the wound on Jesus’ side to believe and Peter denied Jesus during his humiliation. (more…)
“Love strangers as you love yourselves….” Leviticus 19:34. This is a simple command with complex ramifications. When help is needed, it is easy to look the other way and to think of an excuse. We might think, someone else will help that person or they should have planned better – it’s their fault. Unfortunately, the verse doesn’t say, “Love strangers if you know they have made wise decisions.” (more…)
Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem for the last time. Up until now he had stopped the people from honoring him; however, this time it would be different. Jesus was now moving forward to meet his destiny – his time had come. (more…)
We do not follow God out of the fear of punishment or for the hope of eternal life. We follow him because of his love. Jesus loves you. Reader, Jesus loves you. (more…)
Satan tries to make people think that God punishes people for their sins. Fortunately, this is not true. It is true that poor decisions will have natural consequences. This is why Jesus has given us laws to help us avoid the consequences of poor decisions. (more…)